Selective switch.



E. E. KLEINSCHMIDTE SELECTIVE SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. L 1913.

1 ,140,749. Pafnented May 25, 1915.

INVENTOR 9 #4 ATTORNEYS THE NORRIS PETERS CO., PHOTO-LITHO. WASHINGTUN. D. C,

.. UNITED STATES PAET orrion.

EDWARD E. KLEINsc MIDnoE NEW YORK, N. IYJ, essreNon 5101mm. swrrcrr AND' SIGNAL COMPANY, A CORPORATION or MAINE;

sELEc'rIvE SWITCH;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1915;

Application filed April 7, 1913. Serial No. 759,484.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern Be it known that IYEDWARD E. KLEIN- adapted for use more particularly in sig-' naling systems, and will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, 1n which Figure 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2 1s a top View; and Fig. 3 is a detail view.

Similar letters indicate similar parts 1n the several" views.

Secured to a' base is a suitable frame 1 upon which the several parts of the selector are carried. As a convenient form of arrangement the electro-magnet 2 is placed horizontally in the lower part of the frame and its armature 3 is secured to a lever l pivoted on a shaft 5 having bearings in the frame. Adjustable stops 6 limit the movement of the arm 4' when the armature 3 is attracted and retracted.

The selector shown is of the step-by-step type, and has a ratchet wheel .7 mounted on a suitable shaft. This wheel isweighted in any suitable manner, as by making one of position by a pin 9 thereon engaging a stop 10 which is in the form of a bracket secured to the frame, said bracket serving as a member upon which to'pivot the back lash pawl 11. As is well known in selective systems employing step-by-step mechanism the purpose is to' step a ratchet wheel until a contact thereon engages a contact in the circuit to be closed. I have, therefore, shown secured to the wheel 7 an adjustably mounted contact 12 which when the selector is actuated will close a circuit by engaging a contact 13 carried by but insulated from the armature lever't. For the purpose of stepping the ratchet wheel 7 I provide a spring pressed stepping pawl 14 pivoted upon an extension of lever 4:.

The present invention is designed vmore particularly for use in selective-systems in which a plurality of selectors are connected to a common circuit and'the object is to provide a simple mechanical expedientfor keeping the back lash pawl 11 in engagement with the ratchet wheel while the latter 1s being stopped, that is during the period of time that the ratchet wheel begins its travel until it finally comes to rest. In the operation of the selector the wheel '7 is stepped around by a succession of impulses until the contact 12 engages or passes the spring contact 13, the latter being moved toward the path of travel of contact 12 on each impulse by which the magnet 2 is energized. To prevent reverse movement of the ratchet wheel during the interval between impulses, when pawl 14 will be out of engagement with wheel 7, I provide the back lash pawl 11 above referred to, and to effect engagement of said pawl with wheel 7 and to maintain it in engagement with said wheel until the impulses cease I provide the following. The pawl 11 is normally held out of engagement with wheel 7 by a pin 15 projecting from the side of a tripping device. To avoid the use of springs I prefer to weight the tripping device and, in the particular form shown by me, the disk 16 is on a hub having integral therewith an overbalanced member 17, the weight being so distributed that pin 15 will be made to normally bear against the tail of pawl 11 to hold it out of engagement with wheel 7 as shown in Fig. 1. The weighted tripping device is mounted on a shaft 18 having free hearings in the frame 1.

To effect the positive engagement of pawl 11 with wheel 7 I provide an extension 19 of the armature lever 4 which engages the tail of said pawl on the side opposite pin 15. WVhen magnet 2 is energized the quick movement of extension 19 imparts a blow to pawl 11, throws it into engagement with wheel 7, and at the same time giving a partial rotation to the tripping device. Pawl 11 having been made to engage wheel 7.it is necessary that the tripping device should not be permitted to assume its normal position until the succession of impulses ceases. To effect this I pivotally mount a pawl 20 on the armature lever 4, this pawl when the lever is rocked being made to engage the teeth 21 on the periphery of disk 16, and when the teeth 21 are so engaged the tripping device will be held in the position to which it is thrown upon the coming in of an impulse and until the impulse is broken; that is as long as magnet 2 remains energized the tripping device will be held, substantially as shown in Fig. 8. There is no feeding movement of disk 16 by pawl 20 upon the coming in of an impulse, it being understood that as long as magnet 2 remains energized the pawl 20 merely holds the tripping device in the position to which it was moved by the blow given by means of extension 19. lVhen an impulse is broken and magnet 2 deenergized, the stepping pawl 1 1 will, of course, be disengaged from wheel 7. During the interval between impulses therefore it is necessary that pawl 11 remain in engagement with the said wheel, and in order to prolong the period of return movement of the tripping device which would effect the disengagement of pawl 11, the teeth on disk 16 are so inclined that when the armature lever 4 is retracted, on the breaking of an impulse, a quick feeding movement is imparted to disk 16 to thereby throw the tripping device farther in the same direction in which it was thrown by extension 19 on the coming in of the impulse. This movement of the trip ping device will carry pin 15 still farther away from the tail of pawl 11. In ordinary practice the time required for pin 15 to re turn to its normal position is greater than the interval between impulses. In other words the interval between impulses is less than the time it requires the tripping device to recover itself. At the extreme retracted position of armature lever 4, pawl 20 will be out of the path of teeth 21. Before, however, the tripping device can assume its normal position the next succeeding impulse will come in and the pawl 11 will receive a blow from the extension 19 to insure its positive engagement with ratchet wheel 7.

In a system in which I have used the above described selector the signal is not operated by the momentary engagement of contacts 12 and 13 in those selectors in which contact 12 is carried beyond 13. The signal will be operated only by a prolonged impulse which results when the selector of the called station is set by stopping contact 12 when it engages contact 13, that is when the contacts at the selected station are closed by a prolonged impulse.

The weight of member 17 is so distributed that its center of gravity is below its supporting shaft 18, so as to present a condition of stable equilibrium. If left free to assume a position of rest the extensions 23 of said member would lie substantially horizontal. I prefer, however, that the member 17 should not normally assume a state of rest and for that purpose I provide a stop 22, so placed that the lower extensions 23 will engage the underside of said stop. This permits the weight to rest on the tail of pawl 11, the parts being held normally in the position shown in Fig. 1. As already explained the extension 19, of the armature lever when it strikes the tail of pawl 11 will impart a slight rotation to the member 17 so that the lower extension 23, of said mem her will recede from stop 22. lVhen magnet 2 is deenergized the tripping device will be moved still farther from its position of rest but not so far that the center of gravity will pass a vertical line through its point of support, the upper side of stop 22 preventing complete overthrow. Member 17 is therefore substantially an over-balanced fly wheel which is held by the stop 22 in such position that its weight will rest on the back lash pawl to hold it out of engagement with the ratchet wheel, and so mounted that when the impulse is broken the pawl 20, and toothed member 21, will give the member 17 a further movement away from its position of rest. The tripping device being freely supported its inertia after receiving a blow upon the breaking of an impulse will carry it a distance sutlicient to prevent its recovery during the interval. between succeeding impulses.

The ratchet wheel 7 has a pin 2-1, on the side thereof and a blank tooth 25, the distance between said tooth and the stepping pawl 14, being substantially equal to the distance between pin 2a and the bracket stop 1.0. The latter limits the extent of rotation of the ratchet wheel and the blank tooth provides a space in which the stepping pawl may ride when the corresponding wheel reaches its limit.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a selector the combination of a magnet, an armature lever therefor, a toothed member having a contact thereon, a stepping pawl on said lever for imparting an lntermittent movement to said member, a back lash pawl, a tripping device to hold said pawl normally out of engagement with said member, means for moving said tripping device away from normal position on the coming in of an impulse, and means for moving the tripping device in the same direction away from normal position on the breaking of an impulse.

2. In a selector the combination of a magnet, an armature lever therefor, a toothed member having a contact thereon, a stepplng pawl on said lever for imparting an intermittent movement to said member, a back lash pawl, a tripping device to hold said pawl normally out of engagement with said member, means for moving said back lash pawl into engagement with said member and for moving said tripping device away from normal position on the coming in of an impulse, and means for moving said tripping device in the same direction away from normal position on the breaking of an impulse.

3. In a selector the combination of a magnet, an armature lever therefor, a toothed member having a contact thereon, a stepping pawl on said lever for imparting an intermittent movement to said member, a back lash pawl, a tripping device to hold'sald back lash pawl normally out of engagement imparting an intermittent rotation to said wheel, a back lash pawl for said wheel, a tripping device to hold said back lash pawl normally out of engagement with said wheel and comprising a toothed member, means for moving said tripping device out of engagement with said wheel upon the coming in of an impulse, a pawl carried by said lever and adapted to engage said toothed member and to be held in engagement therewith while said magnet is energized, and to impart a further movement to said tripping device away from its normal position when the impulse is broken and the magnet deenergized.

5. In a selector the combination of a magnet, an armature lever therefor, a ratchet wheel having a contact thereon, a stepping pawl on said lever for imparting an intermittent rotation to said wheel, a back lash pawl for said wheel, a tripping device for holding said back lash pawl normally out of engagement with said wheel, means for mov ing said tripping device away from normal position on the coming in of an impulse, said tripping device comprising an overbalanced toothed member, a pawl carried by said lever and adapted to engage said toothed member when it is moved on the coming in of an impulse and for imparting a positive feeding movement to said member in the same direction upon the breaking of an impulse.

6. In a selector the combination of a magnet, an armature lever therefor, a ratchet wheel having a contact'thereon, a stepping pawl on said lever for imparting an intermittent rotation to said wheel, a back lash pawl for said wheel in the path of movement of said lever, a tripping device for said back lash pawl adapted to hold the same normally out of engagement with said wheel and engaging said pawl on the opposite side of its engagement by said lever, whereby on the coming in of an impulse a movement of said lever will effect a positive engagement of said pawl with the ratchet wheel and will move said tripping device away from normal position.

7. In a selector, the combination of a magnet, an armature lever therefor, a ratchet wheel having a contact thereon, a stepping pawl on said lever for imparting an intermittent rotation to said wheel, a back lash pawl for said wheel, a tripping device for holding said back lash pawl normally out of engagement with said wheel and adapted to be actuated by said lever upon the coming in of an impulse to move it away from its normal engagement with said back lash pawl, and means to engage said tripping device and to hold it as long as said magnet remains energized.

8. In a selector, the combination of a magnet, an armature lever therefor, a ratchet wheel having a contact thereon, a stepping pawl on said lever for imparting an intermittent rotation to said wheel, a back lash pawl for said wheel, a tripping device for holding said back lash pawl normally out of engagement with said wheel and adapted to be actuated by said lever upon the coming in of an impulse to move it away from its normal engagement with said back lash pawl, and means to engage said tripping device and to hold it as long as said magnet remains energized and to give to said tripping device a feeding movement away from normal position when the said magnet is deenergized.

9. In a selector, the combination of a magnet, an armature lever therefor, a toothed member having a contact thereon, a stepping pawl on said lever for imparting an intermittent rotation to said wheel, a back lash pawl, a tripping device to hold said back lash pawl normally out of engagement with said member, and means actuated by said lever to move said tripping device away from normal position when said lever is retracted.

10. In a selector, the combination of a magnet, an armature lever therefor, a ratchet wheel having a contact thereon, a stepping pawl on said lever for imparting an intermittent rotation to said wheel, a back lash pawl for said wheel, a tripping device for holding said back lash pawl normally out of engagement with said wheel said tripping device comprising an overbalanced fly wheel in a state of stable equilibrium, and means for giving said device a blow to move it from its normal position and to permit its inertia to carry it still farther from normal position and means to retard the return of said tripping device.

11. In a selector, the combination of a magnet, an armature lever therefor, a ratchet wheel having a contact thereon, a stepping pawl on said lever for imparting an intermittent rotation to said wheel, a back lash pawl for said wheel, a tripping device for holding said back lash pawl normally out of engagement with said wheel said tripping device comprising an overbalanced fly wheel in a state of stable equilibrium, a stop to prevent said device assuming a position of rest, and means for giving said device a blow to move it from its normal position and to permit its inertia to carry it still farther from normal position.

12. In a selector, the combination of a magnet, an armature lever therefor, a ratchet wheel having a contact thereon, a stepping pawl on said lever for imparting an intermittent rotation to said wheel, a back lash pawl for said wheel, a tripping device for holding said back lash pawl normally out of engagement with said wheel, said tripping device being freely supported and comprising an overbalanced member, and means actuated by said armature lever for imparting a blow to said tripping device on the coming in of an impulse, and means for holding said device in the position to which it is carried by said blow as long as the magnet remains energized.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWVARD E. KLEINSCI-IMIDT.

Witnesses:

M. E. MGNINOH, .OHARLES S. JONES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

